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**Spolier Alert** Read our When Calls the Heart Production Journal only if you’ve watched last Saturday’s episode...  

From the Production Journal of Brian Bird, Executive Producer of WHEN CALLS THE HEART Ep#2004

It’s the night before we start production on When Calls the Heart Season 2, Episode 6, and I have just finished reading the final production draft of the script we’re calling “Awakenings and Revelations.”

Interestingly it’s the first script this season that won’t have “Heart” somewhere in the title, and it’s appropriate because the theme that keeps springing to mind for me about this episode is “free will.”

If you look it up on Wikipedia, you’re in for a college course on the topic that includes scientific, philosophical, ethical and religious implications. A simple definition I’ve always embraced is this:  God made men, but he didn’t create puppets or robots.  He gave them the ability to make their own choices, even if they choose against him, against each other and even what’s best for themselves.”  That’s why the title rebelling against our “Heart” trend on all the other titles fits so aptly. As do all the storylines in this episode.

I have no doubt that our Hearties will feel a certain sense of frustration with Jack, Elizabeth, Bill, Abigail, Rosemary and our new characters of Leland and Charles, and their choices during the scenes we will be shooting over the next seven days. But I think it’s a satisfying frustration because it’s something we can all identify.

I can’t think of how many times my own friends or loved ones have made choices that seem to be against their own self-interest or actually hurt others.

That’s real life. We can be a stubborn, selfish bunch, we human beings, right?  When I think about it, it’s amazing anything actually gets done.

There are seven billion people in the world today bumping into each other and they all have free will.  How on earth have we not already blown ourselves up a thousand times over?   But we also have the ability to get past our own flaws and do wonderful things for each other.

That’s the constant tug-o-war we want to depict Hope Valley. Citizens with free will all hopefully learning from their mistakes and choosing to do right by each other.  Growing, forgiving, learning.  That’s what I hope for civilization as a whole.

I hope this little TV series can make that kind of difference in the world. The proof will be in some of Abigail’s pudding!  

From the Production Journal of Brian Bird, Executive Producer of WHEN CALLS THE HEART Ep#2003 It’s Monday January 12, and the cast and crew are back in Hope Valley from a long winter’s (Christmas) nap.

I can’t emphasize enough how important that holiday break was for the entire team.  I know for most of our fans watching the show, it must seem like an easy task making these 42-minute episodes, but the reality is there are a thousand moving parts (it’s all about logistics when we’re rolling cameras), and the entire team works a minimum of 14-hour days, Monday through Friday, every week during the production cycle.  

Spending time with family these last few holiday weeks has been a fantastic way to recharge the batteries.

I’m very excited as we enter the second half of our Season 2 production calendar.  Even though we’re technically still filming a few scenes from episode 4, we’re also shooting scenes from the next two episodes this week and next, as well.

When we’re filming multiple episodes, it’s amazing to watch our wonderful actors navigate their emotional changes from scene to scene. Each episode presents them with a “character arc” which they have to internalize and interpret for themselves as they are taking the words on the page and “putting them up on their feet.” I’m a writer, not an actor… I have no idea how they do it, especially when they are shooting multiple episodes at once.  It’s amazing and magical to watch. (I hope they feel the same way about our writing team and our writing process!)  Episode 204 is almost finished, and today 205 and 206 begin.   I’m pretty sure we’re going to hear a collective gasp across North America from our “Heartie-nation” about some of the relationship surprises in Hamilton that take place in 204. For 205, I’m betting that gasp will change to a collective sigh of relief as Elizabeth comes home to Hope Valley. Her story of volunteering to babysit two kids from the community and some of the “fish out of water” elements are delightful, and very much in the vein of some of the stories we did in Season 1. Don’t get me wrong, I love the new characters and relationships we’re introducing, but there’s something very satisfying and heart-warming about this kind of story we’re telling this week. Makes me want a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup like my Mom used to make me on a rainy day after school. I think this story will be “comfort food” to a lot of Hearties who may have some “heartie-burn” over some of the new wrinkles we are adding in Hamilton storylines. It’s what this show is evolving into – a very big painting canvas, which if we can maintain our creative edge – will provide a little something for everybody who watches this show. I know every member of this cast and crew has committed to these long hours, and to working tirelessly, to provide the best episodes we can make.

November 17, 2014

Ep#2001

It’s still dark in Vancouver this morning, but the sun is cresting over the Fraser Valley.  

It has been a long time since we were all last here in “Coal Valley”… both for cast and crew and for our beloved family of #Hearties and growing audience of When Calls the Heart fans.

As our expanded team of cast, writers, producers, directors and crew begin production today on a very special Season 2 two-hour premiere episode, we are all humbled by the amazing outpouring of love this show has received from its fans.

In 30 years of working in film and television, I have never experienced anything like the wave of grassroots support that emerged during Season 1, and in the long months since.

In fact, I believe we have the best fans in all of Television!

You are one of the main reasons this show returned for Season Two.  

Did you know our Facebook community page https://www.facebook.com/groups/544632748969161/ has grown from 4,000 members at the end of Season 1 to nearly 23,000 today, and as we begin the hard work and long journey of making these new episodes, we pledge to you to do our best to bring you another thrilling, inspiring, uplifting… very romantic… season.

But I know you all have a burning question: “How are going to top what we did in Season 1?”

As you are about to find out, we are not only going to resolve all the big cliffhangers from S1, but we are going to spin tales in many new directions in S2.  

We are going to expand the story-telling “canvas” and the world of When Calls the Heart by introducing new characters and relationships – all in order to set the stage, Lord-willing, for many seasons to come.

Even our cliff-hangers will have new cliffhangers.  

But something else we have all learned from S1:  We can’t make this show a success without you tens of thousands of #Hearties (and hopefully hundreds of thousands of #Hearties-yet-to-be).  

Your love, loyalty, support, passion and consistent viewing, posting and Tweeting about this show IS the fuel that will keep it on the air.  

We are competing with what seem like thousands of other entertainment options and we need all the love we can get.

I met a #Heartie recently who told me she keeps an episode from S1 on her smart phone so that she can play it while she is standing in line at the grocery store.  

She does this to provoke questions from potential fans standing in line with her.  That is the “secret sauce” that will keep this show growing.  We call that “E-Fangelism.”

Are you an E-Fangelist yet?

If not, join the #Hearties and show your like-minded friends that family friendly TV programming on Hallmark Channel is not extinct and can make a comeback in our culture.  

We promise to do our part, and we hope you will do yours.  Until next week…that’s my report from Coal Valley!  

Good Witch Season 1 Finale Recap

 The end signals new beginnings.

 The delicious season finale, a double episode, does precisely what it should – leaves us wanting much more!

 As the first season closes, Sam (James Denton) has come to love Middleton … and Cassie….even if he hasn’t yet fully processed the latter.

 Cassie (Catherine Bell) still mourns her husband’s death but has done her typically terrific job of dedicating herself to Grey House, Bell, Book & Candle and navigating the tricky waters of mothering a teenage daughter.

 As much as Cassie helps others, this episode, in particular, highlights her difficulties.  Even as levelheaded as Grace (Bailee Madison) is, she is a high school freshman, which means she is bucking at the rules. That’s tough going as a single parent.

 Cassie is overjoyed to be celebrating her store’s 13th anniversary when she learns the rent is going to be raised astronomically. Yep, that shady developer, who is trying to get a mall going in a neighboring town, somehow took over her lease. Worse, Ryan (Anthony Lemke) is involved.

 Cassie finds out from Sam about Ryan’s involvement. No one suspects that Ryan would intentionally wrong Cassie, but it is surprising to find him mired in such an ugly situation. To Ryan’s credit, he eventually untangles the mess, and just as it looks as if Bell, Book & Candle will have to shutter, Ryan presents a solution.

 Cassie has many people looking out for her because so many people go to her for sound advice. Sometimes, however, they seek her advice simply to win her over for their own reasons.

 Who’s a better example than Linda (Gabrielle Miller), Sam’s ex-wife? What a piece of work this woman is. She didn’t want Nick (Rhys Matthew Bond) so she did not fight Sam for their son at the custody hearing, but she likes swooping in when it’s convenient.

 Linda initially makes fun of Middleton because it isn’t Manhattan. Yep, that’s the point. By the episode’s end, however, she plans on moving to town. This could be great fuel for more clashes.

  Nothing seems to be happening with Stephanie and Sam, though that could have been by happenstance because everyone was so busy with the storm. Or it could be because Sam and Stephanie are just not meant to be.

  Nothing happening had also been the status between Brandon and Tara (Dan Jeannotte and Ashley Leggat). Cassie’s stepson and his wife had separated while she worked on her graduate studies. She returns to Middleton and the newlyweds are awkward around each other.

 “How did you and dad do it?” Brandon asks Cassie.

 “Communication and compromise, the key to many things, but definitely my recipe for a magical, loving and happy marriage,” she tells him.

 It takes a little of Cassie’s magic to bring them together. She bakes Tara’s favorite cookies, and even once the young couple seems to be heading toward a more serious separation, with the Atlantic Ocean between them, Cassie sends them each on a simple errand where they run into each other. They remember how much they love to be together.

 Though no couple’s happiness is guaranteed, Brandon and Tara look as if they are off to another good start. The same, however, cannot be said for Ryan and Cassie. He has always harbored more feelings for her than she for him. Cassie is not the sort to lead on anyone. She genuinely likes Ryan, but knows the romance will lead nowhere.

 Stepahnie takes out Cassie to celebrate, but instead of a nice dinner, she stops by Bell, Book & Candle where a lovely surprise party awaits. So many people whom Cassie had helped over the years turn out to thank her.

 After, Sam stays to help her clean up. Earlier in the day, he reminds her they shared a teary hug. He asks if they can share a celebratory hug. Just as they embrace, Ryan walks by and sees them. He looks pained.

 Cassie and Sam, however, look so very right in each other’s arms.

‘Good Witch’ episode 7: Storm reveals true colors

Emergencies show us who we really are.

That wintry mix of ice and snow hammers Middleton & ultimately everyone came together to help.

A few turning points happen in this episode:

Cassie and Sam (Catherine Bell and James Denton) realize, at least on one level – an emergency – how well they work together. Abigail (Sarah Power) proves that though she is manipulative, she can be kind and right. Mayor Martha Tinsdale (Catherine Disher) weathers the storm and we finally see her husband again. Brandon (Dan Jeannotte) knows he must deal with his estranged wife.

.Even with warnings, when a storm of this magnitude blankets an area, people are caught off-guard. All we take for granted – passable roads, working electricity and our security blanket and link to the world, the Internet, are gone.

People must fend for themselves, and some, naturally, are more capable than others.

Madame Mayor sees the storm as a way for her to bask in the media spotlight. Yet, her devotion to Middleton could never be questioned.

Nick, Grace and Anthony (Rhys Matthew Bond, Bailee Madison and Shane Harte) are stranded at the library. Grace can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong with Brandon. Of course she is right.

Abigail returns to The Bistro, saying she forgot something, but what she finds is Stephanie (Kylee Evans) flat on her back in the darkened restaurant. Abigail spends the night taking care of her, despite that Stephanie was going to fire her and was worried about Abigail winning Sam’s affections.

Over at Grey House, matters are grim, but Cassis is of course, the calm in the storm. They have called for an ambulance to aid the ailing couple we met last week, but even emergency vehicles are having trouble getting through on the treacherous roads.

Stephanie, supine on the Bistro floor, says to Abigail, “You don’t want Sam and I to be together, do you?”

“You are fighting the natural order of things,” Abigail says.

“And Cassie and Ryan?” Stephanie asks.

“There is a lot of fighting the natural order of things around here,” Abigail answers.

Freezing and with a head wound, Brandon pulls himself into the Bistro. As sleepy as he is, Abigail makes him stay awake in case he has a concussion.

Abigail might as well walk around with a saltshaker to pour in wounds she inflicts. She asks Brandon how Tara, his estranged wife, is.

No one is saying Abigail is wrong, but she could look to Cassie for some finesse.

As the storm passes, Mayor Tinsdale is finally going to have her moment in the spotlight. She’s fixing her lipstick and her husband orders her, “Martha Lorraine Tinsdale get out here now!” She scurries out and there’s her nemesis, the mayor of Blairsville, bloviating about “aiding their less fortunate sister city.”

Kudos to Martha for not slapping that egomaniac upside the head! She has her chance later, and is comical as she tries to conduct a press conference. She expects applause. From cops? From reporters? Please.

The storm made Cassie and Sam realize how well they work together. As they enter Grey House to have a cup of tea, a visitor awaits them – Sam’s ex-wife!

By anyone’s account, Cassie Nightingale is an amazing mother.

 Loving and nurturing, empathetic and empathic, Cassie (Catherine Bell) makes every bad situation better, which is why Middleton’s townsfolk seek her counsel. They know she listens with an open mind, doesn’t judge and gives sound advice.

 Who could want anything more in a mom?

 Grace (Bailee Madison), Cassie’s daughter, but Grace is 15. And, it is pretty much an accepted fact that even when the loveliest girls hit 15, they get zapped with hormones and act possessed. Even darling Grace.

 Poor Cassie. She’s overwhelmed when Grace starts acting out. And if that weren’t enough, Cassie’s duplicitous cousin, Abigail (Sarah Power), shows up. Though Cassie welcomes her, neither she nor her stepdaughter, Lori (Hannah Endicott-Russell), is happy to see Abigail.

 Sam (James Denton) – smart, capable, accomplished surgeon, now small-town doc – is also having his share of teen woes. His son, Nick (Rhys Matthew Bond), has already lied, become mired in trouble at school and has been grounded. Sam fled New York City with his only son because Nick was getting in trouble.

 Sam looks deep into Cassie’s eyes a few times during this episode, the single parents of teens feel deeply for each other’s struggles.

 Yet as smart, capable and accomplished as the good doctor is, he is clueless. First Stephanie (Kylee Evans), devoid of subtlety, has been chasing Sam and they finally have a date. Now Abigail has decided to pursue him as well.

 Abigail left her advertising job in NYC under cloudy circumstances, and now she’s saying she wants to start over. She’s staying with Cassie, Lori and Grace at Grey House, though no one was overjoyed to see her.

 Lori warns Grace: “It is very easy to get sucked in to all of her Abigail-ness and then it is easy to get hurt.”

 Abigail overhears. Most people would be hurt and try to rectify the problem, but Abigail decides to win over Grace, which won’t be hard because the teen is bristling at Cassie’s rules.

 Grace wants to go to an R-rated movie with friends. Cassie says no.

 “Whether you realize it or not, I am growing up,” Grace states. “I may not be 18 but I am not a baby.”

 Before Cassie can talk, Abigail intervenes and has the audacity to say, “I got this.”

Abigail tries to talk Cassie into letting Grace go, but Cassie holds firm.

 Ryan (Anthony Lemke) stops by. He is still petty happy over the kiss Cassie planted on him at the dance, but she is retreating. They decide to go out to dinner, and make a big deal that this is just dinner – not the prelude to a serious relationship.

 Sam’s practice has picked up, so much so that he needs an administrative assistant. Abigail decides she is perfect for the job. She flirts shamelessly with Sam, riling Stephanie. Stephanie handily reads Abigail’s blatant manipulation.

Since Lori also has Abigail’s number, Abigail works on ingratiating herself with Grace. She takes her shopping and buys her an all-black outfit. Though it’s hardly a Goth classic, and Grace is still adorable, Cassie does not approve.

 “It’s just an outfit,” Abigail says to Cassie. “Loosen the grip a little.”

And it is here when most other moms would tell off Abigail. But instead, Cassie ever-patient, says, “I can’t. I am the one left with a grip on her.”

 Abigail does what she pleases, when she pleases, and relishes it. It would be hard to believe she is unaware of her actions. She eggs on Stephanie and goes so far as to throw a wrench into Sam and Stephanie’s date.

 Abigail offers to take Grace to the movie despite Cassie’s edict. Even if she’s talking back, Grace is a good girl. Grace’s conscience kicks in and she will not blatantly disobey her mom. Abigail offers to take her to something else, though she’s vague on where.

 On the evening Abigail is to take Grace to this event, Abigail has an accident. Who wants to bet she staged it? A cabinet topples and she hurts her ankle at Sam’s practice. Of course Sam, not only a doctor, but also a gentleman, helps her. His X-Ray machine is down. And who wants to bet Abigail had something to do with that?

 Sam insists on driving Abigail to a hospital in a nearby town for an X-Ray, making him horrendously late for his dinner date at the romantic French restaurant. So late that Stephanie downs wine, sops it up with bread sticks, pens a note to Sam and storms out, running into Cassie and Ryan as she leaves.

 Before Cassie arrived at dinner, Grace lied to her face. Grace had said she was meeting her pal, Anthony (Shane Harte), for a study session. Instead she was meeting Abigail.

 Grace waits for Abigail – in her banned black outfit, but Abigail is a no-show. Grace squares her shoulders and walks into a party with a much faster crowd than she is accustomed to; her fresh face looks sweetly innocent in this older, more jaded crowd. Nick, naturally, is there and warns her to go home.

 “I am not going home and I can take care of myself,” Grace retorts.

 Again, she is 15 so she knows everything.

Romance is in the air and forgiveness is in the soul.

As usual, people confide in Cassie because they know she is trustworthy, listens and gives heartfelt, sound advice. She and Sam disagree over the power of forgiveness.

“I believe in forgiveness,” Cassie says to Sam. “You don’t.”

“Some things are unforgiveable,” he retorts. “You had a pretty ideal marriage.”

Cassie agrees – until that happiness was “ended by the person who killed Jake.”

Still, she has since forgiven her husband’s killer.

Several couples are formed at the Heritage Ball. Whether these couples are particularly good fits is another matter. But candlelight, music, champagne and canapés are the perfect ingredients for an evening of romance.

Forgiveness, however, is a more constant pursuit.

Of course nothing, not even in Middleton, comes off without a hitch.☺

In this episode it seems everyone is a couple, including one Ryan would rather not see. Ever. His ex- fiancée and former best friend, Annie and Mark now married, show up for the festivities.

Ryan asks Cassie to be his date if for nothing more than to not be stag in front of his enemies. From Ryan’s perspective, however, there is more to the invitation.

“It takes a lot of energy to stay angry,” Cassie tells Ryan.

“I know you can always forgive people, but for me there is a limit,” he responds.

Cassie maintains that Ryan should forgive them.

The big dance almost does not happen. There was a gas leak at the country club, where it was supposed to be held. If Madam Mayor were in a dither before, she’s working her way toward hysteria.

Cassie to the rescue!

Grey House is set up beautifully for a wedding, but the wedding had to be postponed. It’s a perfect match!

Cassie and Grace both look beautiful.

As far as Ryan is concerned, once he takes Cassie into his arms for a dance, his life has moved in the perfect direction.